The Diamond Setter, Moshe Sakal
The Diamond Setter, Moshe Sakal
List: $19.99 | Sale: $13.99
Club: $9.99

The Diamond Setter

Author: Moshe Sakal, Jessica Cohen

Narrator: Josh Bloomberg

Unabridged: 8 hr 21 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 07/24/2018


Synopsis

Inspired by true events, this bestselling Israeli novel traces a complex web of love triangles, homoerotic tensions, and family secrets across generations and borders, illuminating diverse facets of life in the Middle East.

The uneventful life of a jeweler from Tel Aviv changes abruptly in 2011 after Fareed, a handsome young man from Damascus, crosses illegally into Israel and makes his way to the ancient port city of Jaffa in search of his roots. In his pocket is a piece of a famous blue diamond known as "Sabakh." Intending to return the diamond to its rightful owner, Fareed is soon swept up in Tel Aviv's vibrant gay scene, and a turbulent protest movement. He falls in love with both an Israeli soldier and his boyfriend—the narrator of this book—and reveals the story of his family's past: a tale of forbidden love beginning in the 1930s that connects Fareed and the jeweler.

Following Sabakh's winding path, The Diamond Setter ties present-day events to a forgotten time before the establishment of the State of Israel divided the region. Moshe Sakal's poignant mosaic of characters, locales, and cultures encourages us to see the Middle East beyond its violent conflicts.

Contains mature themes.

About Moshe Sakal

Moshe Sakal is the author of five Hebrew novels, including the bestselling novel Yolanda, which was shortlisted for the Sapir Prize (the Israeli Booker) in 2011. Sakal was awarded the title of Honorary Fellow in Writing by the University of Iowa, the Eshkol prize, and a Fulbright grant (the America-Israel Education Trust). He has published essays and opinion pieces in several major Israeli outlets, including Ha'aretz as well as in Le Monde (France) and Forward (USA). His novel Sister was published in Israel in May 2016 and was longlisted for the Sapir prize. Fluent in three languages, Sakal studied and worked in France between 2000 and 2006. Until recently, he headed the Literary Division of the Israeli Center for Books and Libraries.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Doug on April 08, 2020

1.5, rounded up. Like most who rated this poorly, I was often confused and found a lot of it hard to follow, or just plain uninteresting. The story itself is not only convoluted, but it's poorly told (perhaps badly translated as well?). Worse, the synopsis makes it sound like it revolves around a con......more

Goodreads review by David on March 21, 2018

My review appears in New York Journal of Books.......more

Goodreads review by Steve on July 12, 2018

I found this one very average. Hard to follow and not much substance.......more

Goodreads review by Hermien on November 20, 2021

I enjoyed the way all the different chapters together told the story of the two families and the diamond that played a part in their lives.......more

Goodreads review by Mazza on May 29, 2023

This is a lovely book with warm characters and a sweet story. It’s very light hearted and I usually prefer a darker read but it is lovely! Especially if you want to travel to Israel, I could smell the sea coming from the pages.......more